IMPHAL, June 12: General discussion on budget estimates of the current financial year, 2013 – 14 took place during the last and third business on the third day of Manipur Legislative Assembly.
During the discussion, Opposition leader MLA Dr I Ibohanbi Singh, MLA L. Ibomcha Singh and MLA Th Shyamkumar Singh made their observations in the house.
MLA Dr I Ibohalbi Singh observed that the budget estimate tabled by the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in the House on June 10 as anti-development and anti-poor people and added that there is no policy on the improvement of standard of living in the budget.
He further said that with a vision ahead, the budget should be presented with belief, but the word of policy is not found anywhere in the budget and it does not reflect and express what is to be done for the people, he noted.
MLA L Ibomcha Singh made his observation that experts on budget had discussed the matter in some states before the union budget or the annual budget estimates are presented but in Manipur, such exercise is not practiced.
MLA Th Shyamkumar Singh of Andro Kendra observed that the budget neither mentioned the fund allotments of the departments nor what will be done for the people.
With regard to the observations made by the opposition MLAs, the Chief Minister who also holds the portfolio of Finance replied that the top officials of the concerned departments were consulted though experts were not officially consulted when his government prepared the budget.
The state has limited resource and the assistance provided by the central government to the state government is Rs 800 crores under Special Central Assistance (SCA), Rs 450 crores, Rs 450 crores under Special Plan Assistance and Rs 900 crores under normal Plan Assistance (NPA).
Development works cannot be taken up with a total of over Rs. 2, 000 crores though the government wants to do so very much. Besides, there are flagship programmes like SSA, RMSA and NRHM etc with the state bearing 10% share. The release of the fund for NHRM remained pending as the share of the state amounting to Rs. 17 crores was not paid off. Now the amount has been paid off. Now the fund will be released for sure, he said.
He continued that the resources of the state are sales tax, vat and power sector but there are various leakages in the sale tax. How to resolve the leakages is under consideration, he said.
The Speaker declared the discussion closed following the thorough clarification by the Chief Minister.